The News reported on Friday that the county council could close the village facility as part of cost-cutting measures designed to ease the impact of a shift in Government grant.

Coffers at County Hall have been left £36million short on the previous year which Tories are blaming on a poor Government grant.

They say they now need to claw back funds from other areas.

The Wharfenden Way Youth Centre is among 15 youth facilities which are threatened with closure as part of the county council’s Business Delivery Review — the largest ever review of Surrey’s services.

As part of the change to youth service provision, the county council will switch its emphasis to working with young people community-wide rather than in specific buildings.

The grant cut means a number of key areas of service provision have been hit including library access in the county, threatening the closure of Bagshot Library.

Pc Jarrett, whose beat includes Frimley Green, said he was “shocked” to hear news of the possible closure.

He added: “We rely on the youth services to divert kids away from anti social behaviour and give them something to do.

“I’ve got no doubt that anti social behaviour will rise. The kids have got nowhere to go and nothing to do.

“The whole point of working with other agencies is to divert the kids away from crime.

“I’d like to know what’s going to take its place.

“This is going to make policing of the youths in the area harder because we can’t give them an alternative.”

Pc Crabbe — who works with youth services and young people across Surrey Heath in order to educate them away from crime and antisocial behaviour — said threats to the future of the centre “were a concern”.

He added: “Young people in the borough need places to go and things to do.

“While they’re not engaged in activities they’re on the street.”

He said the closure of the facility would be as much of a disappointment to the police as it would to the community it served.

“Any facility that’s available in the community for young people is a bonus as it provides a diversion from anti social activities.

“It does make our job harder,” he added. “If we stop young people on the street and ask them why they are where they are, they will say they haven’t got anything to do and rightly so.”

As part of the review, the county council points to feedback from young people, which suggests they are drawn toward places they feel are specifically designed for them.

As a result, the county council intends to reinvest funds yielded from the closure of such centres as Frimley Green into new, modern and attractive facilities in the county.

These would be made available at times more suited to young people.

A spokeswoman for the county council said: “Young people have become less and less attracted to local authority youth centres.

“Now more than 50% of youth work takes place in town centres and other locations where young people like to meet, rather than in youth centres.

“As part of reshaping this service there are recommendations for fewer, better resourced youth centres, while maintaining front-line youth workers to carry out their invaluable work in communities.

“It is also important to note that we won’t stop any of the current provision without an alternative being in place.”

What do you think about the possible youth centre closure? Are you a young person who uses the facility and is upset by the move?